Legislature District 11: Smith

Oct. 30, 2007

Ted Dusanenko was elected to Rockland's first Legislature in November 1969 - the body that replaced the old county Board of Supervisors.

Except for a four-year break in the mid-1980s, he's been there ever since.

Naturally, his retirement leaves political parties angling for the seat. Republicans hope to hold onto District 11, and Democrats seek a veto-proof margin in the Legislature. The Working Families Party would love a win, but surely would settle for making a difference in who gets the seat.

John Mangan, 63, lost the Democratic primary but remains on the Working Families Party line in next Tuesday's election. He's lost two earlier bids for the seat and will have a tough time winning from a single slot down on the ballot even with his deep community connections as president of Congers Little League and other local involvement. The engineer and lawyer says he would be particularly valuable on a Legislature that needs to watch spending and quickly implement rail "quiet zones," a critical issue in the district, which includes all of Congers and part of Valley Cottage.

Republican Frank Sparaco, 31, a local business owner, also appears on the Independence and Conservative lines. He favors open-space preservation and wants tax relief, particularly for seniors. He promises to hold taxes, saying cuts are unrealistic in light of numerous mandates the county can't control.

Our choice, former Clarkstown Town Board member Ann Marie Smith, 66, has much experience and turns the fact that her Democratic Party dumped her from the town ticket after eight years in office into a positive, saying her time out of office gave her a better perspective on government.

She says the county should tap into local talent instead of searching elsewhere for experts and costly outside counsel for litigation. She believes top department heads should live in the county. She's concerned with high taxes, but would share more sales-tax revenue with towns and even school districts to ease the burden at those levels.